Productivity At Home: The apps you need to work remotely forever

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been alarming and devastating yet quite revealing. 

In the past few weeks, we've had to re-learn how to do a number of things in light of the illness' spread. This includes how we go about our business and work on the daily. 

In a bid to curb the ongoing outbreak, governments across the globe have ordered lockdowns and asked companies to allow employees to work from home. As workers navigate this new realm, firms in the region have been struggling to shift to a concept they rarely ever delved into before. 

But it looks like they're going to have to adapt, not just during this outbreak but in the long run as markets will take time to recover from COVID-19's effects. 

Fortunately, we live in the age of tech advancements and an abundance of helpful platforms and apps that facilitate working from home all while making it efficient. Here are a few of them: 

We all know there are some unnecessary meetings that should really be emails and others that are far more serious and interactive. 

Working remotely doesn't mean you can't have the latter kind, especially with apps like ZOOM. 

This video conferencing app allows anyone with a laptop and internet connection to host or join meetings online. One of the app's best features is that it allows you to record meetings. 

This messaging platform and app allows teams to communicate online; it enables them to create channels for different departments/tasks so that chats are focused on specific topics. 

It's an ideal tool for working from home since it'll connect you with the people you work with no matter where you are. 

Hurdles faced by those new to remote work are mostly the result of feeling isolated or away from workmates. But with apps like Microsoft Teams, colleagues can still feel connected and part of a team even when they're working from home. 

This platform offers both free and paid versions that enable colleagues to seamlessly connect and perform tasks required of them online. The app also provides tools that facilitate e-learning. 

CISCO's Webex is a business meeting and video conferencing app that allows teams to schedule and conduct meetings online. It also facilitates webinars and online presentations. 

Free meetings on the platforms are open to up to 100 participants at a time. 

Trello is the app you need if your work involves a lot of project and task management. 

Tailored for teams, this platform lets workmates share to-do lists and tasks that can help keep group projects right on track regardless of where each member is working. 

One of the possible downsides of working from home is that it can carry with it several distractions that don't exist at the office. 

Serene App solves this specific issue by helping you keep focused on achieving your work tasks. 

It does this by asking you to set one goal to focus on achieving throughout the day. It also allows you to block distracting websites and apps and lets you silence your phone during scheduled work sessions. 

Working remotely can be a struggle for designers and artists who need a platform to sketch out their ideas. 

Enter Sketchboard, a virtual white-boarding platform and app that helps work colleagues connect, brainstorm, and share their ideas by actually sketching them online. 

Basecamp is run by a team that works remotely via the app. That's what we call trust.

It enables each work-related task to be broken up into separate projects. Each contains everything related to the project on hand including the employees involved, discussions, files, and important dates. 

Basically, this is a platform that helps people run entire companies without needing to rent out office space, instead allowing employees to work from the comfort of their homes.